Supporting teachers adopting game-based learning in formal education: A systematic literature review

The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the significance of adopting a technological-approach for advancing the future of education, underscoring the need to bring transformational changes in teaching methods by making them more technology-centric. In this context, Digital game-based learning (DGBL) is an efficacious educational tool to improve the quality of education in future classrooms. According to extant academic literature, digital video games entail myriad benefits, such as enhancing students' learning motivation and boosting their involvement in the learning mechanism. In spite of the constructive characteristics of DGBL, digital games' utilization in formal education remains very limited. Additionally, the uptake for meaningfully embedding these games into everyday classroom practice or the curriculum at large has failed to meet expectations. Given the immense contribution of teachers towards the educational framework, their views on the potential accomplishments of digital games will inevitably affect decisions concerning how, when, and the purposes for which they would be coalesced with the learning process. Consequently, game designers and developers have taken commendable measures to encourage teachers to adopt game-centric learning in formal education. This paper conducted a systematic study of scientific literature using Grounded Theory to shed light on the various techniques utilized to shape teachers' acceptance for digital games and their implementation across formal settings. The study's findings suggest that it is possible to positively change teachers' attitudes towards DGBL by engaging them in game design, provided that it is done in a cost and time-effective manner.